Mastering Stand-Up: The Complete Guide to Becoming a Successful Comedian

by Stephen Rosenfield

Overview

This entertaining and sharply written guide—for both beginners breaking into comedy and professionals seeking to improve their sets and advance their careers—examines the work of great comedians such as Louis C.K., Jerry Seinfeld, Eddie Izzard, Moms Mabley, Hannibal Buress, Sarah Silverman, Richard Pryor, and more as a means of illustrating the most important techniques of performing and writing stand-up.

Here, Stephen Rosenfield lays out a clear plan for achieving success, candidly explaining what works, what doesn’t, and why. Including a 12-item “Successful Comedian’s To-Do List,” Rosenfield states, “Get undeniably good at each of these and you can kiss your day job good-bye. You will be a pro.”

The New York Times heralded Stephen Rosenfield as “probably the best known comedy teacher in the country.” His alumni include some of today’s most prominent comedians and comedy writers, such as Lena Dunham, Jim Gaffigan, Eric Slovin, and Jessica Kirson. Rosenfield has directed, coached, and/or written for these and hundreds of other comedians. As a pioneer in the field of teaching comedy, he founded the American Comedy Institute, the premier stand-up comedy school in the United States, in 1989.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781613736920
Publisher:	Chicago Review Press, Incorporated
Publication date:	11/01/2017
Pages:	272
Sales rank:	390,680
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

The New York Times heralded Stephen Rosenfield as “probably the best known comedy teacher in the country.” His alumni include some of today’s most prominent comedians and comedy writers, such as Lena Dunham, Jim Gaffigan, Eric Slovin, and Jessica Kirson. Rosenfield has directed, coached, and/or written for these and hundreds of other comedians. As a pioneer in the field of teaching comedy, he founded the American Comedy Institute, the premier stand-up comedy school in the United States, in 1989. 

Table of Contents

Preface xi

Part I Beginning Our Work Together

1 Things I Know About You 3

2 The Road Ahead 6

3 "No!" 11

Part II The Forms of Stand-Up Comedy

4 Observational Stand-Up 17

5 Anecdotal Stand-Up 22

6 The Stand-Up Sketch 30

7 Act-Outs 34

8 Put-Down Humor-Celebrity Put-Downs 39

9 Put-Down Humor-People in Your Life 45

10 Put-Down Humor-Hecklers 49

11 Put-Down Humor-Insult Comedy 53

12 Put-Down Humor-Self-Deprecating Humor 60

13 Crowd Work 66

14 The Comic Flaw 73

15 Character Stand-Up Comedy 77

16 Edgy Stand-Up Comedy 83

17 Specialties 93

18 Ad-Libbing 99

Part III The Handbook for Creating Stand-Up Comedy Material

19 Preparing for Your First Draft 105

20 The First Draft 113

21 Trying Out Your First Draft 119

22 Setup and Punchline 125

23 Working Backward 135

24 Creating Your Set List 139

Part IV The Handbook for Performing Stand-Up Comedy

25 Nerves and the Three Gifts They Give You 149

26 The Single Most Important Thing: Joyous Communication 153

27 Coming Alive Onstage: Emotional Fullness 158

28 Be in the Room 163

29 Delivery 167

30 The Things to Do Before You Get to the Club 175

31 Before the Show Starts 181

32 Showtime 186

Part V Get Undeniably Good

33 Building an All "A" Set 195

34 Creating Your Persona 203

35 The Six Characteristics of a Successful Persona 207

36 The Seventh Characteristic 219

37 The "This Joke Used to Kill and Now It's Bombing, What the Hell Is Going On" Checklist 222

38 Hosting 227

39 The Voice 236

40 Everything You Need to Know About the Business of Stand-Up Comedy 242

Acknowledgments 247

Index 249

About the Author 255

Editorial Reviews

"My dream was to be a stand-up comedian, but I never thought I could do it. Steve’s class was exactly what I needed. Steve helped me get over my fears. He taught me the techniques I needed to learn and, most importantly, he taught me to be genuine off-stage. He is a brilliant writer and an amazing teacher.” —Jessica Kirson, comedian


“When I wanted to start stand-up, I knew I had a voice but had no idea how to write a joke, think outside the box, or conduct myself on stage. I’m really so thankful for taking Steve’s class: it’s the 101 in comedy I needed . . . and the 101 in life I didn’t know I needed!” —Michelle Buteau, comedian


“Steve has taught many of the great comics that perform on our stages. This is an invaluable guide.” —Chris Mazzilli, owner/founder, Gotham Comedy Club


“There is nobody like Steve. He has accelerated so many careers, including mine. Without him it would be much more difficult to move ahead in stand-up comedy.”
—Ted Greenburg, comedian and Emmy Award–winning writer for Late Night with David Letterman


“An absolutely essential instructional guide and reference for anyone aspiring to a career as a comedian.”—Midwest Book Review 

From the Publisher